In 2023, Carr filed the largest Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) case “against protesters in U.S. history” after activists protested the construction of a police training facility on Atlanta public forest land.
Carr filed the charges against 61 protesters who were concerned about the ecological impacts of the deforestation required to build one of “the largest police-training centers in the country,” which earned it the nickname “Cop City.” Carr claimed the protesters were members of an “anarchist, anti-police, and anti-business extremist organization.”
In 2025, a Georgia judge tossed the racketeering charges after determining Carr lacked the authority to secure the indictments under Georgia’s RICO law without the governor’s permission.
September 2023: Carr Charged 61 Protesters With Violation Of The Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Act, Claiming They Were Members Of An “Anarchist, Anti-Police, And Anti-Business Extremist Organization.” According to CNN, “More than 60 people have been named in a state RICO indictment filed in connection with the yearslong campaign by protesters in Georgia to thwart construction of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center – dubbed ‘Cop City’ by detractors. ‘All 61 defendants have been charged with Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act,’ Republican Attorney General Chris Carr’s office said in a statement Tuesday. ‘Several of the defendants are also facing separate charges of Domestic Terrorism, Attempted Arson in the First Degree, and Money Laundering.’ […] Of the 61 defendants indicted August 28, 13 are from Georgia, the attorney general’s office said. It said all defendants are members of Defend the Atlanta Forest, Carr said, describing it as an ‘anarchist, anti-police, and anti-business extremist organization.’” [CNN, 9/6/23]
September 2025: A Georgia Judge Tossed The Racketeering Charges, Saying Carr Did Not Have “The Authority To Secure The 2023 Indictments Under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations Law.” According to the Associated Press, “A Georgia judge on Tuesday said he will toss the racketeering charges against all 61 defendants accused of a yearslong conspiracy to halt the construction of a police and firefighter training facility that critics pejoratively call ‘Cop City.’ Fulton County Judge Kevin Farmer said he does not believe Republican Attorney General Chris Carr had the authority to secure the 2023 indictments under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law, or RICO. Experts believe it was the largest criminal racketeering case ever filed against protesters in U.S. history.” [Associated Press, 9/9/25]